


Resting

by LayWright



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LayWright/pseuds/LayWright
Summary: Gordon just wants to rest.
Relationships: Barney Calhoun & Gordon Freeman, Gordon Freeman & Alyx Vance
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	1. Alyx

They were on the move. They were  _ always _ on the move. It was constant running and fighting and Gordon was mostly used to it by now. That was just his life, though it didn’t used to be that way before the incident at Black Mesa.

Alyx was moving ahead, gun ready in case they ran into any zombies or Combine troops while Gordon found himself beginning to lag behind.

Alyx reached the end of a hallway and frowned. “Dead end. The building is pretty clear as of right now at least.” She said with a sigh. 

She turned back to Gordon, only to find him sitting on the floor, resting his head back on the wall. “Gordon?” She said in concern and moved over to him, crouching beside him. “Are you okay?”

He looked at her and didn’t do anything for a few moments. Then he signed, <Tired. Give me a minute.>

She nodded and moved so she was sitting down. Now that she thought about it, she hasn’t seen Gordon rest since she met him. She was beginning to wonder if he even rested during the times they were apart. What has been keeping him going for so long?

“Gordon? We’ve been going almost non-stop for a while now… How do you do it? Keep going, I mean.” She asked. “I don’t really see you rest very often or… At all, actually.”

Gordon took a deep breath. <Adrenaline, I’m assuming.>

She frowned. “Yeah, that… Makes sense.”

There was silence for a few moments, then Gordon stood. <Let’s go.>

Alyx got up as well. “Are you sure? You still look very tired.” She asked in concern.

<We can’t afford to sit around. We have to keep going.> Gordon signed, though his hands went a little quicker this time and Alyx wasn’t sure if Gordon was really  _ alright. _ He paused for a second, then continued. <We always have to keep going. No more time for resting.>

Then he stopped and sighed. <I don’t want to dwell on it. Let’s just go.> He signed and started to walk off.

“Gordon.” Alyx said, causing him to stop and look over at her. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’re almost there. We’re making a lot of progress. If we keep going, it’ll all be over. You’ll be able to rest without worry then. I’m sure of it.”

And for a moment, Gordon believed her. He really did. But then G-Man came to mind and that glimmer of hope died. He was sure after all of this, he was just gonna be put into stasis again until his next mission and stasis wasn’t really resting to him.

He just offered a sad smile.  _ ‘Doubt it.’ _ He wanted to sign, but decided that wasn’t the best idea. So instead, he signed out a ‘Thank you’ and kept walking.

They had a long way to go.


	2. Barney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barney gets a little concerned for his buddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this went on for too long and i mostly pulled shit out of my ass so excuse any errors. anyway here's chapter two like i said i'd get to.

They had met up with a bunch of rebels and Barney much later and were hunkering down for just a little bit as they planned their next move.

Gordon decided to sit outside but just out of the way so he couldn’t be spotted. Part of it was keeping an eye out for the Combine, the other part was him just needing a moment to himself.

Then there was movement out of the corner of his eye and he jumped slightly, quickly grabbing his crowbar just in case.

“Relax, Doc. It’s just me.” He heard and he relaxed, realizing now that it was just Barney. Still, he kept his grip on his crowbar. 

Gordon looked at Barney. <What are you doing out here?> He signed to him.

Barney sat down next to him. “Y’know, just checkin’ in on ya. It’s kinda strange in there without you standing in the background during situations like this.” He said. Barney smiled at him before his expression turned to concern. “And… Alyx said somethin’ about you bein’ a little stressed out.”

<I’m more than just a little stressed out, Barney.> Gordon signed. <That’s the least of our concerns right now.>

“Oh c’mon. You can talk to me, right?” Barney said.

Gordon sighed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly before putting them back on. <Well, for starters, I need a nap.> He signed.

Barney chuckled. “I think we all do, buddy. I’d kill for one right about now.” 

Gordon nodded, then looked away. He sat there thinking for a moment, then his mind drifted to G-Man. He wondered if Barney would even believe him if he said anything about it.

Though he wasn’t sure if G-Man would even approve of him saying anything. Still, it was worth a shot. So he turned back to Barney. <Can I tell you something a little strange? Though I’m not sure if you’ll believe me.>

Barney blinked. “Doc, there’s aliens everywhere, we fought zombies countless times and a portal opened up in the sky. I’ll believe anything at this point.”

<Fair enough.> Gordon signed. <I was gone for 20 years, right?>

“Just about, yeah.” Barney answered.

<I was stuck in stasis. Someone put me there.> He explained. <I don’t think I can say who. I don’t even really know who they are anyway.>

Barney bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “It explains why you haven’t aged a bit. I was gonna ask what moisturizer you used.”

That got a small smile out of Gordon, which pleased Barney greatly. “But seriously, you really haven’t aged. Physically, I mean.”

<I’m still 27. Time was practically frozen where I was.>

“Where were you?”

Gordon paused for a moment to think. <I don’t know. It was all dark for a moment and suddenly I was on that train. Suddenly I was back again.> He looked down at the crowbar in his hands. <I bet you that after this, it will all happen again.>

“... That’s rough.” Barney said, wincing slightly when Gordon looked at him. “Sorry, sorry. That’s a lot for one man to handle. That and being the face of the resistance and all. Saving the world. All that.”

<I want to rest, Barney.> Gordon signed.

“I know, Doc. You will. I’m sure of it.” Barney said and patted him on the shoulder.

Gordon looked doubtful. <That’s what Alyx said too.>

“And you don’t believe her?”

Gordon shook his head sadly. Barney frowned and looked out into the distance. He wasn’t sure what to say exactly in this situation. “Well, you can’t be certain what will happen after all of this. Maybe that person stuffing you back on the shelf for later will let you relax for a bit.”

Gordon stared at him silently for a moment. <I suppose you’re right.> He decided.

There was a noise from inside and both turned to look at the door. “I think they’re callin’ for me. I’m gonna head back inside.” He looked back at Gordon. “If you see that person again, tell them to cut you some slack. Maybe they’ll let you rest if they hear about the beer I still owe ya.”

<Thank you, Barney.> Gordon signed with a small smile.

“Don’t mention it, Doc. I’ll see you inside.” Barney said, and with a pat on the back, he stood and walked back inside.

Gordon sat there for a moment, thinking about the conversation. He was right, this  _ was _ all too much for one man. He supposed he should just hold on to that small chance that he could rest after all of this.

He sighed, then stood and went back inside.

**Author's Note:**

> hopefully if i get to chapter 2, chapter 2 will be with Barney next. can't make any promises. tags will be edited when i get to it


End file.
